We Stand Together
by Probably Brilliant
Summary: Someone has to stand up for her.


Derek and Cristina

Someone has to stand up for her.

We were sleeping. Mer was doing that cute thing where she snores like a truck, so I guess _she _was sleeping. It was late, really late when the phone rang. She bolted up and grabbed the house phone from its charger base.

"Cristina? It's three in the morning. What's going on?" I'd heard enough of these conversations in the past years to know that Owen probably just forgot to bring home an exciting case or Yang wanted to chat. No big deal. "I'm sorry? He _what?_ Yeah, I'll come get you. Just stay where you are, and I'll come get you." Mer seemed so pissed off. It was the sort of look she saved for me when I was being a total idiot.

"Meredith, what happened?" I asked from the bed. She was already up, throwing on her jeans and one of my sweaters. She turned to look at me as she stepped into her shoes.

"He cheated on her, Derek. Owen cheated on her." With that, she left. She was out the door, keys in hand. I was glad that the noise hadn't woken Zola, but still worried for my wife. I got up and threw on my own jeans and shirt. I made a quick stop at Lexie's room.

"Lexie, Mer and I are going to Owen and Cristina's. Listen for Zola." She mumbled something back that was a bit incoherent. I managed to make my way downstairs before Mer left the house.

"Go back to bed, Der. I'm sorry I woke you." Her voice was full of concern.

"I'm going with you. Cristina's my family too." She sighed.

"Okay, let's go." The car ride over was silent. That was mostly because my wife drives like a crazy person, though. As we made our way to the apartment, I could hear Owen's pleading, and Cristina's angry shouting. I thought Mer would knock, but she just pulled out a key and let herself in. The noise stopped as we entered. I watched Mer throw Owen an icy look as she made her way to where Cristina was throwing things into an overnight bag with reckless abandon.

"C'mon Cristina, you can get your things tomorrow. Let's go." I watched Mer lay her hands on Cristina's shoulders. Owen stood against the kitchen island, looking at his feet. Occasionally a tear would splat on the grey tile. I stood quietly in the doorway. "Derek, c'mon." She commanded sternly.

"I'm going to stay." I stated, rather quietly, might I add. "I'll get a cab." She just rolled her eyes and continued to usher her friend out of the old building. I waited until I heard the car pull away.

"Owen?" I asked cautiously. He picked his head up. I could see the grief on his face.

"I cheated on my wife." He said slowly. It was almost like he didn't believe it. "Who does that? I was a good man. I was a soldier, for Christ's sake. I was a good man, and then I cheated on my wife." He looked at me, desperate for something.

"Why?"I asked. Nobody asked that when someone got cheated on, or cheated on someone. I found it weird that no one ever asked Addison that.

"I want kids, Derek. You have a child. She's a beautiful little child. Mark has a kid. Callie and Arizona have a kid, granted she's the same as Mark's kid. Bailey has a kid. I just really want kids."

"So you cheated on Yang? Because you want a baby? There's other ways to get a baby." I said. I was practically an expert at the other ways to get babies by now.

"I wanted her to hurt the way I did. Having a baby was special to me, and she took it away. Having me was special to her, and so I took it away. I wanted her to feel the same loss. She was pregnant, Derek. You have a wife who tried so hard for a baby, and then lost it, yet she still wanted a baby, so she fought to get Zola. I have a wife, _had a wife, _who got pregnant and killed my child. Do you understand that loss? You can't possibly understand that loss. Your unborn child was taken from you. Meredith had no control over it, it was just taken before you even knew you had it. I was given time to love this baby, and she killed it. I had a future planned for this baby. I was going to tell my mom and she was going to be happy. I was going to be so happy, I was happy. It would be a little child that was a part of Cristina and me, and she ripped that away from me. How is that fair?"

"You knew going into this that Yang didn't want kids. You knew. Do you want to know something else? I know what it's like to have a child ripped from you. I know that. I was happy for the millisecond before Mer said she lost the baby. I saw a little boy running around my big house in a Yankee's T-shirt calling me daddy, and asking to go to the park. Not only that, but I know what it feels like to be cheated on. I know what it's like to come home and find your partner in bed with someone else. You did that to her. She's my family, and you hurt her. Nobody is supposed to do that. Not to my family. You knew she didn't want kids. She told you. This was coming. You got a big flashing sign and a marching band, essentially. She didn't know you were going to cheat on her. So no, it's not fair." I left him with that. Standing out in the rain, I called a cab and it took me home. My watch read four in the morning. I softly closed the screen door so it wouldn't slam shut. Mer was sitting on the sofa with Yang's head in her lap.

"Mer?" I called out.

"Shh, I just got her to sleep." She whispered. I hung up my jacket and dropped it on one of the chairs near the couch. "How is he?"

"He's angry, and he's sad. I can't believe he did this to her." I said grimly. Mer stroked Cristina's hair the same way she had last week when Zola had woken up in the middle of the night terrified of the thunder. She was a great mother.

"She was supposed to be happy." Mer sighed.

"I know." I walked over and kissed her head before making my way upstairs. Zola woke up around six, so I took her to the kitchen for a bottle. Cristina was seated at the counter, staring straight ahead. Every now and then her breath would hitch. I set the baby down on the sofa next to my sleeping wife and she curled up next to her. Cautiously making my way back into the kitchen, I stood in the door way. She laid her head on the counter and began to sob. It was breaking my heart. I made my way over to the counter and laid a hand on her lower back, rubbing small circles into it in an attempt to calm her. To my surprise, instead of pulling away, she turned and buried her head in my shoulder, grabbing onto my shirt like it was some sort of life line.

"What…does…it f-feel like w-watching the p-p-person you love, love someone else?" She was referring to Addison.

"It feels a lot like this." I wrapped my arms around her body. She cried for a long time, longer than I would have thought possible.

"If I'd have known that he was going to cheat on me, I'd have had a houseful of kids." She whispered.

"You shouldn't have to change who you are for someone." I replied.

"Thank you, Derek." She wiped her eyes and looked at me. I sat myself on the stool next to her.

"You're my family. I stand by the fact that I'd have never picked you to be my family. My wife did, though. She picked you. So you're family. I don't let people push my family around, and I don't let my family sob in the kitchen alone. You are never alone." She laid her head on my shoulder.

"He _cheated _on me."

"I know."

"I'm exhausted."

"I know."


End file.
